Kakusu, Caddy, and Hidden Block
by Mew Universe
Summary: A collection of stories about Kakusu befriending Hidden Block, Caddy and Kakusu falling in love, and the two of them dealing with Mimi's insecurities. These stories are in chronological order and take place after "Robot Knight", which is post-Satch route.
1. Kakusu and Hidden Block

_Kakusu accepts Caddy's invitation to join Hidden Block at their table-but Mimi is upset at Kakusu for befriending Hidden Block, and Caddy is still being pestered by other students for the boot theft and kappa costume spectacle..._

* * *

Humming a happy Nokemon tune to herself, Kakusu grabbed a bottle of apple juice out of the cooler and paid the grumpy cashier for the drink. Chatter skittering about the lunchroom provided a cheerful ambience to her bright mood. Kakusu continued humming waited for Mimi to join her.

"You seem chipper today," Mimi remarked as she picked up her tray. "What's the occasion?"

"Kakusu made a new friend today!" Kakusu beamed.

"Oh, yes, that Caddic-whatever his name is." Mimi rolled her eyes. "I thought he would have been insulted that you picked him up so easily."

"He was angered when I began to carry him," Kakusu replied, scanning the lunchroom. "However, that anger dissipated by the time I deposited him at one of the men's restrooms so he could change into his uniform."

"Sure didn't take him long." Mimi rolled her eyes again and frowned. "Maybe he's into that sort of thing."

"What sort of thing?" Kakusu tilted her head.

Mimi balanced her tray with one hand and flicked her other hand. "Don't worry about it."

Kakusu spotted her and Mimi's friend Naomi—her high twin ponytails stuck out of any crowd despite the girl's five-foot height. She and Mimi walked over to Naomi, weaving between students and tables to join the excitable first-year girl. Naomi waved to Mimi and Kakusu as they approached. "Have you guys seen Ruth?" Naomi asked as she balanced her lunch tray on one tiny dark hand.

"Right behind you!" Ruth, a muscular blonde fourth-year student, stood behind Naomi with her lunch in a paper sack. "It's a nice day outside—we should enjoy lunch on the grass or something."

"I don't feel like eating outside," Mimi replied with a shake of her head. "Let's just find a table."

"I don't know… both are good ideas." Naomi bit her lip, glancing between Ruth and Mimi.

"You three girls may sit where you please," Kakusu addressed the other girls, "but I am considering sitting with my new friend Caddicarus and with the Hidden Block club."

"The Hidden Blunders?" Naomi gasped, her ponytails standing on end.

"Naomi, don't be so rude!" Ruth whispered as Naomi withered.

"Why?" Mimi asked Kakusu.

"Earlier today, Caddicarus invited me to sit with him and his club during lunch," Kakusu replied with a wide smile.

"That's cool," Ruth replied. "Go for it."

"Oh!" Kakusu touched her fingertips to her own lips. "I just realized! I can ask Caddicarus if we are all able to sit with them—"

"No way," Mimi interrupted. "That Hidden Block club is a group of crazy weirdos. Why would I want to associate with them when Normal Boots is so much cooler?"

"Yeah, Hidden Block is weird," Naomi added.

"It looks like they only have a couple of extra chairs anyways." Ruth pointed at the table crowded with black and yellow jackets.

Kakusu turned and frowned. "Oh. I neglected to notice that detail."

"Whatever, you can go, I don't care." Mimi shrugged, her mouth pulled into a frown. "C'mon, girls, let's find a table," she said to Ruth and Naomi.

Kakusu's grip on her juice bottle tightened. "Please do not be upset, Mimi. I will join you girls for lunch tomorrow."

"You better," Mimi muttered, her eyes narrowing at Kakusu. She walked off with a suddenly chatty Naomi and a worried Ruth.

Kakusu sighed. Mimi had never directed her anger at Kakusu before, and it truly was more frightening to be the target of that anger as opposed to witnessing it being wielded on someone else. Regardless, Kakusu determined Mimi's irritation would fade by the end of the day like it always did in the past.

Kakusu approached the Hidden Block table, searching for Caddy. Wallid and Jimmy were engaged in conversation—something about Nokemon—and Ian was absorbed in his fruit cup and sandwich. Jeff hadn't arrived at the table yet, and Caddy… The bearded British boy spotted her first and waved at her with a giant sweeping motion. Kakusu grinned and waved back, mimicking his arm sweep.

"I saved a chair for you," Caddy told Kakusu, pulling out a chair beside where he sat.

"Thank you." Kakusu seated herself in between Caddy and Luke.

"Hey, Kakusu, glad you could join us," Luke chimed.

"Thank you, Luke." Kakusu set her apple juice bottle on the table. "I apologize again for the misunderstanding before class."

"Nah, it's cool." Luke waved a hand. "You were keeping guard over Caddy, and I appreciate anyone helping out my friends."

"I am glad," Kakusu replied. She twisted the lid off her juice.

Caddy glanced between the juice and Kakusu's face. "Where's the rest of your lunch?" he asked her.

Kakusu paused. "I attained sufficient energy requirements earlier. This juice is all I need currently."

Caddy chuckled. "If you say so." He spun spaghetti on his fork. "How was your class?"

Kakusu sipped her juice. "It was more enlightening than usual, even when Miss Shizuka rambled on a tangent about effectively fording rivers on the Oregon Trail."

Luke snickered through his sandwich. "Oh man, she went on way more tangents than usual today. I barely stayed awake."

"I hate when teachers get off-topic," Caddy replied. "At least the worst Mr. Will Bits does is make up silly little voices during his examples."

"Ha ha ha," Kakusu laughed. "Fortunately, Miss Shizuka's tirades are predictable. She only takes the class off-topic when she is extremely excited or extremely upset, typically after her most recent romantic relationship ends poorly."

"Really?" Caddy bit into a meatball. "That is incredibly stupid."

"Dude, isn't Miss Shizuka engaged to Mr. Saitomo now?" Luke asked.

Caddy coughed, covering his mouth with his hand to keep from hacking up his food. "Say what?!" he asked, his voice muffled.

"Are you alright, Caddicarus?" Kakusu rested a hand on Caddy's shoulder blade as he struggled to swallow his spaghetti.

Caddy nodded with a small gulp. "Fine, definitely fine." His eyes widened as he stared at Kakusu and Luke. "When and where did Mr. Saitomo get together with Miss Shizuka?!"

"I am not sure when, but I do know Miss Shizuka announced their engagement this morning…" Kakusu tapped her chin. "Oh, it was right before I retrieved you from that barrage of crumpled paper, if I recall correctly."

"Yeah, after most people were done bothering you," Luke added with a frown.

Caddy's shoulders scrunched; Kakusu rubbed her hand in a circle on his back in one of the few ways she knew to comfort someone. "Did anyone try to harass you after I left?"

"Eh, a couple kids called me 'Kappacarus' or 'Kappy', but nothing more than bouts of verbal onslaught. No need to worry, okay?" Caddy smiled, his shoulders crumpling. His body language and strained voice told Kakusu that he did not wish to discuss the subject further.

"Only since you insist." Kakusu lifted her hand from his back. "Anyways," Kakusu said, hoping changing the subject would lift his mood, "as I was saying, Miss Shizuka's tangents in class are directly correlated to her relationship status."

"Really? That is incredibly stupid." Caddy grimaced. "She should at least—" A meatball bounced off his head. "HEY!" Caddy slammed his hands on the table. "Moosey!"

Ian stared at Caddy, his sandwich hovering in front of his face. "It wasn't me."

Wallid and Jimmy burst into laughter, Jimmy holding up a fork coated with marinara sauce. Caddy growled at the chortling chums. "Very funny, guys," Caddy said while staring at them. Luke chuckled.

"I fail to see the humor in the situation," Kakusu admitted.

"Oh, don't mind them," Caddy replied with a smirk. "Lately they've made it a game to tease me and see how quickly I blame Moosey for the prank."

"So it is an inside joke?"

"Precisely." Caddy snatched a paper napkin of Wallid's tray and wiped the sauce off his forehead.

"I see." Kakusu continued to drink her juice. These boys certainly were odd, but not insane like Mimi had insinuated.

Jeff arrived at the table shortly thereafter, and the boys soon got all wrapped up in their own conversations amidst eating their lunches. Kakusu listened to all the chatter as she finished her juice. The topic of conversation shifted quickly, from Internet shenanigans to stories of classmates to video game discussions. Most of the talk of video games confused her—the only video game she played was Nokemon Y, since she played the Nokemon card game with Jimmy occasionally—but she was able to pick up sufficient context clues to understand enough of what excited them so much. She smiled. This club—Caddicarus especially—was very interesting to her. She filed away key words from their game-filled discussions to research later after classes were over for the day.

She looked over Jeff's shoulder at Mimi, Ruth, and Naomi. The three girls were sitting at a table against the wall. Ruth said something that made Naomi laugh in mouse-like squeaks, and Mimi glanced sideways at Kakusu. Kakusu placed her fist over her mouth. Mimi's glare was unsettling…even frightening. Mimi looked away and muttered something to Naomi.

"Hey, Kakusu," Jimmy said, snapping Kakusu out of her musings. "Any idea why Mimi keeps glaring in this direction?"

"She just doesn't like us for some reason," Ian interjected, stabbing a peach slice with his spoon. "Typical behavior for her."

"I do not believe that is the only reason," Kakusu replied. "The full reason is difficult to determine, but I believe she also does not like me sitting over here instead of joining her for lunch."

"Why is that her business at all?" Caddy asked with a scowl. "It's not like she owns you or anything."

Kakusu paused, surprised at Caddy's angry tone. "Well…" She brushed her fingers along her jaw. Technically, Mimi did not own her, yet Mimi was the reason Kakusu found herself at Asagao in the first place. The full situation was something she could not explain to Caddy just yet. "She is very protective of her friends. Beyond that, her feelings on this matter are rather complicated to explain."

Jimmy shrugged. "If you say so."

"Maybe she just needs more friends," Wallid suggested. "That way, she won't be so clingy to the friends she has."

"As if she can find any," Ian said in a low, angry tone. "She's one of the most two-faced, manipulative witches known to humanity." He stared at each of the Hidden Block members in turn, avoiding Kakusu's gaze. "You guys all remember how she used Jirard to try to get into Normal Boots, right?"

An affirmative grumble passed around the table. Kakusu stared at her fingers tapping on the table. Even she remembered that disaster…most of the school were ignorant of the details, but Mimi had lost most of her friends after Mimi's exploits were exposed. For the first time ever, Kakusu wondered exactly why Ruth spent her time with Mimi—Naomi was a first year, so she was ignorant of Mimi's past, but Ruth was a fourth year in Jirard's class and had heard the secondhand rumors. Perhaps, Kakusu mused, she would ask Ruth about that fact.

"Kakusu." She looked up at Caddy, who stared at her with a worried frown. "Why are you still friends with Mimi after all those awful things she did?"

"I am afraid that is also a complicated explanation," Kakusu replied. "I cannot fully explain it since it is not only my story to tell."

The bell rang—ten minutes until class started up again. Students around them began to stand and toss their trays, but Hidden Block remained sitting as they watched Kakusu. Kakusu intertwined her fingers, looking away from the now silent boys as Caddy placed a hand on her shoulder.

Wallid twirled his fork in his fingers. "Well, regardless of what Mimi thinks or does, I think you're a nice person." Wallid smiled as he picked up his tray and stood. Kakusu smiled back.

"Oh yes, definitely," Caddy added with the widest grin Kakusu had ever seen on him. "You're truly one of the kindest people I know." He laughed. "And one of the strongest. How in the world did you manage to carry me all the way to Poppy Hall like that?!"

Kakusu beamed. "Thank you, Caddicarus. I…" She shrugged with one shoulder. "It is also complicated to explain, but essentially I have always been very strong." She pushed her chair out and stood.

"Blimey." Caddy's eyes shone. "I am quite envious." He chuckled, standing with his own tray. "Maybe one day I'll be able to heft you the same way you carried me."

Kakusu felt her silicone-fabric skin grow warm as she rubbed her neck. "I… think I would like if you carried me at least once." Caddy blushed at the words.

"Ugh, you two get a room!" Ian called back to them as he walked away with Wallid, Jeff, and Jimmy.

"Shut your face, you wanker!" Caddy yelled at Ian's back as he and Luke deposited their trays.

"Hee hee hee," Kakusu quietly giggled despite herself.

"You want to join us for lunch tomorrow?" Luke asked Kakusu as he, Caddy, and Kakusu exited the cafeteria together.

"I would like to join you for lunch again the day after tomorrow, to be honest," Kakusu replied as she tossed the empty plastic bottle into a trash can. "It would be most wise for me to alternate days in such a manner, to spend time with Mimi and to spend time with you all in Hidden Block… my new friends." Kakusu rubbed her ear, looking away with a small smile.

"No need to be shy about it, Kakusu," Caddy replied. Kakusu looked up, her smile mirroring his. "We're glad to have you join us."

"Yes, especially Caddy," Luke said with a chuckle and a wink at the British boy.

Caddy's eyes widened, then he glared at Luke while his cheeks turned pink. "You hush, too, you pillock."

Kakusu tilted her head to the side. She had assumed Caddy only insulted Ian; why would he do so towards Luke in this instance? "Are you sure you are alright, Caddicarus?"

Caddy sniggered and rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm fine. Harmless teasing, is all."

A white object flew towards Caddy's ear. Kakusu caught the object between two fingers—a triangular paper with a picture of a kappa's face scrawled onto it. "Oi, what…?" Caddy turned his head, his eyes widening as he spotted the paper.

"That nearly hit your head!" Luke exclaimed.

Kakusu spun around, tracking the paper football's former trajectory to a group of five sniggering second-year boys clumped around a single open locker.

"Kakusu, don't do anything rash—" Caddy stammered.

She strode towards the boys, their laughter dying on their lips as her steps rang out on the floor towards them. "Which one of you shot this paper at my friend?" She spoke in a low voice as she held up the paper in her fingers.

The boys glanced at each other as they bit their nails and pursed their lips. One boy had a thick rubber band between his fingers. Kakusu narrowed her eyes at him. "If the guilty culprit admits to shooting this paper, I will return the paper to you and promise not to report you unless you try to harm Caddicarus in the future."

"Okay, okay!" The boy threw his arms over his face, the rubber band flying through the air. "I did it! Sorry!" he exclaimed in a nasally voice.

Kakusu's fingers tightened into fists. "I only believe you are sorry that I caught you attempting to hurt my friend. However…" She unwrapped the paper, fished out the ten-yen coin weighing it down, and let the paper flutter to the floor at the boys' feet. "Here is your paper. Do not ever try to harass or hurt Caddicarus again or I will report you… or worse." Her eyes narrowed as her lips remained in a stiff line.

All of the boys nodded vigorously. "We promise!" another boy commented in a deep vibrato.

"I will hold you to that promise," she said, letting her eyes glow. The boys ran down the hall, slowing down when Miss Shizuka yelled at them to walk in the halls. Kakusu turned and walked away from the boys, rejoining a slack-jawed Luke and a wide-eyed Caddy. "I have ensured those boys will not bother you in the future, Caddicarus," she said with a smile as she dropped the coin into his hand.

Luke leaned towards Caddy. "Dang, Caddy, you should keep her around," he whispered.

Caddy's ears turned pink as he nodded. "Thank you, Kakusu." He smiled, pocketing the coin. "The only other person to protect me so vigorously is my little sister, and she's not nearly so effective."

"I would do anything to ensure my friends are secure and happy," Kakusu replied as she, Caddy, and Luke resumed their walk to class.

"And I would do the same for my friends, including you," Caddy replied, patting her shoulder. "If you ever need anything, just let me know, alright?"

Kakusu nodded. "I will. I promise."

This time, after escorting Caddy to his classroom, Kakusu found herself smiling widely as she seated herself in her desk beside Mimi. She hummed a Nokemon tune as she slid her geography textbook out of her desk.

"So, did you have fun with the Hidden Blunders?" Mimi said in a hushed voice as she dragged her pencil across her notebook paper.

"I did enjoy my time with them." Kakusu surveyed the room; only half of the desks had students sitting at them. Shane from Normal Boots sat in the front row, Luke and Ian sat next to Shane, and Jontron from Normal Boots lounged behind them in his seat. She faced Mimi, lowering her own voice. "Please do not insult my new friends in such a derogatory manner. Normal Boots would not appreciate it, either, since the Hidden Block club members are also their friends."

Mimi glared at Kakusu, but held her tongue at the mention of Normal Boots. She continued scribbling on her notebook.

"I also will keep my promise—"

"I know, I know," Mimi hissed. Her shoulders slouched, and her eyebrows relaxed as she frowned. "I just…"

Kakusu squeezed Mimi's shoulder. "I understand completely. I will not stop spending time with you because of my new friends. You know this already, correct?"

"Yeah, but I still am afraid, y'know?" She gave Kakusu a quick side glance before returning to the shapes she was scribbling on her paper.

"Please do not be afraid."

"I'll try."

Kakusu returned her attention back to her geography textbook. Opening the book to a map of Terminate Field, Kakusu continued humming the Nokemon battle music and smiled. Not even Mimi's sour mood could lower Kakusu's cheerful demeanor. She logged the memories from lunch into her long-term memory database, lingering on the different facial expressions Caddy and the other Hidden Block members had made.

She clasped her hands together. Kakusu made new friends that day. Kakusu was very happy.

And she couldn't wait to see them again—especially Caddy.

* * *

 _{Author's note: Naomi and Ruth are OCs I made specifically to be Mimi's posse, so don't worry if you don't recognize the names. Also, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think of the story! I'll be writing a LOT more Caddy/Kakusu in the future. :) }_


	2. A Rap Number

A Rap Number

* * *

Standing inside the glass recording booth without an instrument was the last place Caddy expected to be that afternoon—but after the challenge Luke gave him at lunch, there wasn't anywhere else Caddy would rather be. He glanced at the microphones standing in front of him and Luke, noticing how shiny the black and silver devices were. At least someone maintained them, unlike a lot of school equipment.

Sliding a pair of headphones over his hat and ears, Luke slid the sliders and twisted the dials on the sound control panel. Caddy tapped his fingers together while waiting, his mouth curled into a frown as he watched Luke prep the recording. Maybe Luke's challenge wasn't such a smart idea after all.

"Luke, I have never rapped in my life," Caddy insisted as he picked up a pair of headphones. "Do you really want me to do this?"

"Yeah, totally! You want to, right?" Luke laughed, clapping Caddy's shoulder. "I bet you have a knack for it! Plus it'll be way fun!"

"Well, thank you for letting me jot down some notes here so it's not a hundred percent impromptu." Caddy held up a piece of paper scrawled with his own handwriting.

"No problem, dude. Wouldn't wanna make you uncomfortable." Luke checked his laptop settings and fiddled with a knob on the control panel. His fingers hovered over the laptop's spacebar.

Caddy shook his head with a chuckle and clapped the headphones over his ears. "Alright then. Let's knock this sucker out of the park!" he said, hands clenched into fists.

A steady beat with cymbals and a distant background chorus played out from the laptop, filling Caddy's ears. Closing his eyes, Caddy bobbed his head to the beat, a hand over one earphone. Ten seconds into the music, Luke began his part of the rap:

 _Rub the analytics then you bout a change up_

 _Dismay us Hidden Block is not afraid of_

 _Hatred from a blind eye behind a name_

 _Confined by the fine lines of a barricade what_

Luke continued rapping, twisting his wrist and swinging his hand in time to the beat. The words confused Caddy at first—something about not taking hate seriously? Or being a gamer on GroupTube?—but he didn't care after a while. The words darting from Luke's mouth almost sounded rehearsed, and they had a flowing lilt with natural dips on-beat to the background music.

Man, whoever said rap was dull and clichéd never heard Luke's rap skills. Caddy's hands twitched to the beat, a smile growing on his face. His head-bobbing grew sharper and more emphasized. His shoulders shrugged in time to Luke's words. Music this good really sang to his soul.

… _Enormous turmoil that is so painful_

 _But I will not explore for more appraisal!_

The chorus began again, and Luke tapped out the beats on his hand with a single finger. Caddy mouthed the counts with him— _one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four…_ Wait, he starts after eight counts of four, right? Thankfully, Luke pointed at him during the second to last count of four, arm still bobbing to the beat. Grinning, Caddy glanced at his notes and rapped what first came to mind:

 _This is kinda ridiculous, British kid killing it_

 _Constantly changing up the game now spitting with_

 _Yungtown, are you dumbfounded well listen_

 _I'm the man from the web that they call Caddicarus_

He continued spitting out the first lyrics he could think of, bobbing his head to the music. His words, surprisingly, popped from his lips and flowed off his tongue as his shoulders and arms dipped in time to the cymbals and drums. The paper of notes fell to the ground halfway through his portion of the music. He rapped about Internet comments, transitioning into lyrics about himself and his infamous temper. He even slid in references to some of his favorite Gamestation games like Sycho, Pyro, Smash Bandercoot, and Solid Gear.

Wow, maybe Caddy's musical training was better than he had thought.

… _It's obvious the way you call me what you wanna say_

 _That you think I'm invincible but listen I'M A BALL OF RAGE!_

Caddy hopped to the beat of the words "ball of rage". Mouth stretched wide, he looked over at Luke; the hat-wearing boy gave him a thumbs up. The music's final notes played, and Luke stopped the recording.

"Whoa, dude, that was so awesome!" Luke high-fived the laughing British boy.

"Wow, man, that was incredible!" Caddy slugged Luke's arm. "Now I can see the appeal of this stuff for you!"

"Indeed, your performance was exemplary," a feminine voice chimed.

Caddy cried out, arms slung in front of his face. A familiar girl with short red hair and a jacketless uniform stood in front of him. "Oh, Kakusu, hi!" Lowering his arms, he chuckled with a half-smile. "H-how much of that did you hear?"

"I came into the room about when Luke Sizemore was finishing his portion of the song," Kakusu replied. "He said 'I will not explore for more appraisal', if I recall correctly."

Luke's eyebrows flew up his forehead. "Wow, I'm surprised you remember the exact words."

"So… you heard me rapping?" Caddy poked his fingers together, feeling his cheeks grow warm.

"Indeed." Kakusu smiled a bit wider. "Like I said before, your performance was exemplary. Your foreign accent added a unique twist to the song that is not normally heard in such music, but I found it pleasing."

Caddy giggled, rubbing his neck. "Oh, uh, well, thank you! Thank you very much, uh, for the compliment!" He removed the headphones and stepped out of the recording booth—the door had been left open, unnoticed before by either him or Luke. "So… what brings you by here?"

"I was simply walking past with my friend—"

"Kakusu!" Mimi's head poked through the door from the hallway. "There you are! C'mon, Naomi and Heather are waiting!" She beckoned sharply towards the hall with a whole arm and disappeared from the door.

"Oh, great, Mimi…" Caddy's voice and shoulders fell. "Peachy..."

Giving no indication that she noticed Caddy's grimace, Kakusu gave a quick bow to Caddy and Luke. "I apologize for leaving so quickly. I have a prior appointment to keep."

"No worries, it's cool," Luke replied as he wrapped up the headphone cords.

"Well, I'll see you at lunch tomorrow, alright?" Caddy asked.

"Yes, I shall see you then. Goodbye, Caddicarus; goodbye, Sizemore." With a small wave, Kakusu turned and walked out into the hallway.

Luke tapped Caddy's shoulder. "So, do you have her number yet, or…?"

Smacking his forehead, Caddy cursed. "No, I don't!" He rushed out the door. "Kakusu!" He swung on the doorframe and sprinted after the retreating girls.

Kakusu turned to Caddy, a puzzled frown on her face. "What is the matter, Caddicarus?" Mimi gave Caddy a sharp glare, which he promptly ignored.

"Well, I just realized I don't have your number! So that, well, I can call or text you in the future…" Caddy scratched his neck, barely keeping up with her steady eye contact. "… like if you wanna hang out with me and the club later, or on another day or something," he sputtered.

Mimi gave Kakusu a dumbfounded look, mouth agape. Kakusu's eyebrows lifted, her mouth forming a small 'o' in recognition. "You mean you wish to exchange cellular phone numbers?" The redhead smiled. "I would love to receive your number and to give you mine."

Oh good, she was smiling again. Caddy sighed with a smile of his own. "Good! Here, you dial your number into my contacts, and I'll put mine right onto your phone." The two swapped phones, inputting their own numbers into the other's device. Kakusu took a bit longer with Caddy's phone than he had with hers, but soon enough the phones were returned to their rightful owners. "Alright, thanks for that," Caddy replied. "Now you two carry on whatever you were doing!"

Giving the girls a quick farewell, Caddy retreated back to the recording booth, where Luke was shutting off his laptop. "Bloody hell, that was terrifying," Caddy murmured, running his hand over his hair.

"More than rapping?" Luke suggested with a snicker as he closed his laptop.

"Actually, yes!" Caddy gave Luke a look of incredulity. "Music I get, even if it's not in my genre, but talking to cute girls is a whole other matter!"

Luke burst out laughing. "Well, I think you handled both numbers pretty well!" He grabbed Caddy's shoulder again.

"Wait… both numbers?" Caddy followed Luke out into the hall.

"The rap number and getting the girl's number!"

"Oh, bugger off…" Caddy punched Luke's arm again as the latter guffawed at his own pun. Pulling out his phone from his pocket. Caddy scrolled through his contacts, finding Kakusu's entry.

It was very complete. Her phone number, email address, Blipper information—every spot was filled in. Even the notes had a line which said, _Red-haired female friend of Caddicarus from Asagao Academy in Japan_.

Caddy chuckled, fingers splayed over his beard and pink cheeks. "Wow… she really is something…" he muttered. Pocketing the phone, he hummed a cheerful Nario tune and gleefully ignored Luke's knowing chortles.

Perhaps Caddy would call Kakusu sooner rather than later.


	3. Gaming Robot

_After splitting her time between Hidden Block and her other friends at lunch for a few days, Caddy finally invites Kakusu to join him and Hidden Block to play video games. How skilled will she turn out to be, and how will the Hidden Block boys respond to her play style?_

* * *

Kakusu opened the club room door. Despite the bright afternoon sunshine outside, half the room was dark as one of the three windows had its blinds drawn. Chairs and desks lined the walls to make a wide walkway in the middle of the room. A cluster of black and golden yellow—all six members of Hidden Block—huddled in front of a widescreen TV. Their arms jostled each other as they cheered for their wins and yelled in frustration at deaths. The screen housed colorful characters running about and bashing each other on a floating castle platform—a Stupendous Stomping Sisters match, Kakusu determined. She closed the door behind her, careful to not make a sound. It looked like the Hidden Block club had started playing a game before she had arrived, but she didn't mind. After all, Caddy had only texted her twenty minutes ago to invite her to play with them, and she was relatively new to video games in general.

The boys' shouts grew louder as several of the game characters flew off screen. Luke facepalmed when he finally had to set his controller down, and Jimmy flopped onto the floor once Princess Pear soared to her final doom. Kakusu covered her mouth and giggled. She had started to find these boys' antics quite amusing, even when Caddy slung the most insults and threats of all the boys and geared most of them at Ian throughout the match.

Now only four characters remained on screen. Kakusu tread with silent footfalls across the room. Standing behind the boys, she clasped her hands behind her back and watched the match. Based on the video game information in her database, Kakusu determined that Caddy was playing as Bower the King Kooper Turtle, Ian controlled the psychic Wess, Wallid was playing as Dr. Nario, and Jeff controlled Pikachomp. Kakusu smiled, grateful that she had taken the time to download information about Stupendous Stomping Sisters and various other video games the night before.

Jeff's Pikachomp sent Wallid's Dr. Nario falling to his death. "That was an excellent move, Jeff," Kakusu commented.

Jeff glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, hey!" Jeff waved at her.

Caddy turned his head as he spammed the A button. "Kakusu! Hey!" He beamed at her; Kakusu couldn't help but smile back.

Bower got knocked off the castle by an attack from Wess. "Dammit, Moosey, I almost had you!" Caddy exclaimed as he whipped his attention back to the TV.

"Not my fault you got distracted by a pretty face," Ian replied with a shrug. Luke and Jimmy sniggered as Caddy growled.

"That's it, double the fire for you!" Caddy made Bower spew a river of flame at Wess, roasting the hat-wearing character to a figure of black.

"We'll get you into the next match," Luke said to Kakusu over Caddy's cackles and Ian's grunts.

"Thank you, Luke. I would like to try this game. It looks enjoyable." She tilted her head as she watched Bower punch Wess to the ground. "Even if it does seem to bring out violence in people."

"Hey, that's Stomp for ya." Jimmy shrugged, still sprawled on the floor. "And Caddy is always pretty violent, in case you didn't notice."

"We still like each other afterwards, promise," Luke added.

Kakusu knelt behind Caddy, sitting on her heels as she watched Caddy and Ian duel while Wallid knocked Jeff off the stage one last time. Eventually, after a three-way brawl full of fire (from all three on-screen characters) and much cursing (mostly from Caddy), Wallid emerged victorious.

"BOOYAH!" Wallid threw his hands into the air. "See guys? Dr. Nario isn't pointless!"

"Just because you're good with him doesn't mean he's not pointless," Jeff replied, poking Wallid's head with a single finger.

Caddy growled and slammed the controller on the ground. "Third place again?!" He pointed at Ian. "I was so close to beating you! But next time, Moosey, next time I swear I'll—"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, you'll be second place instead of third." Ian rolled his eyes. "Seriously, James, it's an old song and dance by now."

"I will beat you, I swear to—"

"ANYways, on to the next round! Six lives again!" Jeff interjected. "Everyone push the 'A' button!"

"I'll plug in another controller for Kakusu," Wallid said.

"Thank you, Wallid," Kakusu replied.

Caddy smiled at her. "So, what'd you think of the last match?" he asked Kakusu as Wallid handed her a golden yellow GameBlock controller.

"It was very energetic and chaotic," Kakusu replied. "Truly it was difficult to focus on any one character at any given time."

"That's the nature of eight-player Stomp," Jeff replied. "Or six-player Stomp, in this case."

"Yeah, but…" Caddy began.

Ian chuckled. "He's asking very indirectly how you think he played."

"Moosey!" Caddy glared at Ian.

Kakusu lifted an eyebrow; she still didn't quite understand the dynamic of Caddy's friendship with Ian, but decided it was best not to question it at that moment. "Truthfully, based on what little I witnessed, I think you played well, although your timing against Ian's attacks needed some improvement near the end of the match."

"Yeah, Bower's tricky to get a good feel of," Caddy admitted with a shrug.

"You also were playing a slow character," Ian replied, "and I was much faster as Wess." Caddy grumbled but deigned not to reply to Ian.

The character select screen pulled up. Jeff and Wallid switched to the sword-wielding Lonk and the rotund Vario (Nario's counterpart, Kakusu recalled), and Jimmy went on another Pokemon tirade in Luke's ear. Caddy switched his character to Fayonetta and turned to Kakusu again. "So who do you want to play?" he asked her. "I'll tell you about any character you don't know."

"Or I can, since I know more about Gintendo," Wallid chimed. "And most of the characters are from Gintendo IPs."

Kakusu studied the characters on screen—then found the sole robot character she was looking for, with its square head, black eyes, and arms at stiff ninety degree angles. "I will play as this character for this round," she replied, moving her cursor over the character's picture.

Caddy tilted his head. "R.O.B.A.? He's tricky for a newcomer to get a good grasp on, and he doesn't have the best reach for grabs and such."

"I enjoy robot characters greatly."

Caddy shrugged. "If you say so."

"Hey, Kakusu, how about you pick the stage this round?" Wallid suggested.

"If the rest of you agree with the idea, I will pick the stage," Kakusu replied. The other Hidden Block members chimed in their agreement, and Kakusu circled her cursor around the stage selection screen as she pondered. Eventually, she picked a pastel colored stage that featured series of blocks and a tree with a gaping face. She pulled up her memory bank of the game controls as the screen loaded.

The round started, and chaos ensued. Caddy, as expected, mostly pursued and attacked Ian while the others engaged in a free-for-all clobber-fest. Kakusu rolled R.O.B.A. away from the edge she started on and focused on using 'A' button attacks whenever another character came near her. Side 'A', down 'A', side 'A' again… Was R.O.B.A. a heavy character? Kakusu was surprised at how little she was knocked off the stage by the environment or by the Hidden Block players. She pressed 'X' then up 'B', rockets lifting R.O.B.A. above Vario and Princess Pear. R.O.B.A. dropped onto the pink princess, sending Pear flying off-screen.

"Whoa, slick move, 'Kusu!" Luke exclaimed.

"What?!" Jimmy yelled. "I'm coming after you next, R.O.B.A.!"

Kakusu smiled. "I would not expect anything else, Jimmy," she replied as she made R.O.B.A. spin its arms in a blur of destruction towards Vario and Lonk. Lonk jumped out of the way and Vario got knocked back; Kakusu tried the 'B' button alone. A laser shot through Vario, Luke's character Zilda, and the brawling Fayonetta and Wess.

"Wait, what?!" Caddy gave Kakusu a quick glance of jaw-slack shock. "You picked this up super quick, Kakusu!" he exclaimed as he returned his attention back to attacking Wess.

"Thank you, Caddicarus." Kakusu grinned as R.O.B.A's arms spun furiously towards Zilda.

Princess Pear appeared behind R.O.B.A. and whacked the bot with a frying pan. "HAHA!" Jimmy exclaimed as R.O.B.A. turned around. Pear and R.O.B.A. circled around each other, dodging attacks until Pear landed a whack on R.O.B.A. with a tennis racket. As her robot tumbled off stage, Kakusu's smiled widened. Despite losing a life so quickly, Kakusu found herself enjoying this tumultuous game and was already brainstorming an attack strategy for when she respawned a moment later.

The crazed battle continued. Vario and Lonk were the first to lose all six lives. As Wallid and Jeff set their controllers down to watch the match, R.O.B.A. sent Pear off-screen with a single laser blast, leaving the princess with one life left. Zilda and Pear teamed up on R.O.B.A., and all three characters landed blows on each other equally, but a swirl of blue magic from Zilda and a punch from R.O.B.A. sent Pear flying off screen for the last time.

"Holy crap!" Jimmy threw his controller in the air, staring at Kakusu. "Just… holy crap! Have you played this before?"

"I have not," Kakusu replied, focusing on attacking Luke's Zilda. "Repeating Zilda's neutral special move is considered 'cheap', is it not, Luke?"

"Hey, whatever works!" Luke laughed as Zilda reflected another laser beam. "It's not like this is a pro match or anything."

"That is true," Kakusu mused as R.O.B.A. punched Zilda.

R.O.B.A. took out Zilda's last life just as Fayonetta launched Wess off the stage. "Ha ha! Take that, Moosey!" Caddy exclaimed. "Now we're both down to one life!"

"Well, Kakusu's got three," Ian replied.

"WHAT?!" Caddy counted the icons under R.O.B.A's name. "The bloomin'…"

"Let's take her out first," Ian suggested. "She's almost at 300 percent."

"No way! It'd be much easier to knock you out first!" Caddy made Fayonetta dash across the stage to where Wess respawned above R.O.B.A.

Kakusu pressed 'X' repeatedly. Once R.O.B.A. was in the air, Fayonetta and Wess dashed into her—and R.O.B.A. performed his neutral aerial attack. Both Caddy's and Ian's characters were knocked back, and a three-way brawl ensued. Kakusu swapped her focus between the two opposing characters, quickly mastering the bubble shield on the 'R' button. With R.O.B.A. hitting 300% damage, she had to play carefully, and—

Fayonetta performed a spinning kick into Wess and R.O.B.A. Kakusu activated R.O.B.A.'s final smash—and the laser beam sent the black witch and psychic boy catapulting off screen.

"GAME!"

All six Hidden Block members stared in shock at Kakusu. "And the winner is," the game announced, "R.O.B.A!"

"Wow," Wallid finally sputtered.

Kakusu met each boy's slack-jawed face with her content smile. "That game was very enjoyable, and very nuanced."

"You're bloody amazing, Kakusu!" Caddy grabbed Kakusu's arm. "Seriously, that was exciting and awesome!" He laughed as he shook her arm. "You're brilliant at this!"

"You… really believe that is true?" Kakusu asked.

"Yeah, no joke," Luke chimed, sliding beside Kakusu. "Seriously, you're a pro at this for your first game!"

All the Hidden Block guys chimed in at their awe of Kakusu's skills, Wallid further clarifying the exact techniques needed to perform some of the moves she made. A feeling of… pride bloomed in Kakusu's chest. It was an odd sensation, but it made her smile even more. Sure, she had enjoyed previous goals she had accomplished, but this felt different, being praised by a multiplicity of excited young men all at once rather than simply one person in a calm manner. "Thank you all. I appreciate your compliments," she managed to interject into their chatter. Glancing at the screen, she saw that Fayonetta won third place while Wess won second place. "Caddicarus, I apologize that I kept you from a well-deserved victory—"

"Psh, don't worry about it." Caddy flicked a hand, as if tossing her words away. "That's what I've got the next match for!" He cackled, rubbing his hands together with a wicked sneer.

"Sure, whatever, James." Ian rolled his eyes as the character selection screen came up again.

The club played quite a few more matches of Stomp together, Kakusu winning most of them. As enjoyable as winning every one of them would have been, sometimes the boys would come up with tactics that took her longer to counter than she initially expected, which she preferred. Throughout the gameplay, one thought repeated in Kakusu's mind:

Nokemon wasn't the only fun video game out there, and she wished to try more games, especially if she could play them with Hidden Block.


End file.
